It’s just great seeing such a nice Voltron, or any decent robot, toy at retail again. It’s not perfect, but it has deep presence. And is fun to play with. Both TRU and Walmart are dumping the lions at deep clearance, I think because Playmates stupidly gave them the same skis as the Legendary Defender ones. So Classic is coming straight from the factory to the clearance rack. Idiotic as they will be gone soon. But it means the robot can be had for about $60 complete. I was also able to grab the Legendary Voltron complete box set for $80 at the TRU clearance sale. Also Props to Playmates for packing in the full range of accessories. Everything we never got from Matchbox. Not just Lion Blades but painted Lion blades. Spring firing shoulder cannons. As was said everything but Rocket fists. The only real disappointment is the sword. It’s half the size it should be. Unpainted, and just feels wrong. Plus it tends to warp. Overall the perfect toy for a younger new generation robot fan with which to share the hobby.

Great review and love the quality pictures! Mine arrives very soon but I totally get you on budget and lifestyle change. Being a huge fan of the original Pacific Rim movie and a huge SOC fan (although this looks like it has more in common with my Metal Build Mazinger Z than my SOC Voltron), I had to find a way to get this guy. Now its time to start setting some money aside for Crimson Typhoon. Thanks again for the review! Too bad about the sub par execution of the arms and battery compartments :(

In terms of actual quality, I'd say it's a toss up between the Aerialbots (all three versions), the Grand Galvatron set, and the UW/Takara Technobots. All the Unite Warriors sets have that extra bit of polish in paint & sculpting, but what puts those two over the top, and the CW & G2 Aerialbots is Silverbolt.

None of the deluxe figures are bad, but the Aerialbots benefit from being the first team produced. So they don't suffer any of the problems that can come from being retools/repaints of previously used molds. And Silverbolt by far makes the best torso. He's solid and has nothing funny going on with his combiner hips or shoulders, so he's stable & sturdy. Same goes for all his retools, including Cyclonus (Grand Galvatron) & Scattershot (UW Computron).

I never thought I'd say it but this thing is almost too big. I love the fact that I can hand it over to my kids and not worry about it getting damaged, though. Props to Playmates for making a nice Voltron *toy* after all these years.
If we could swap out the sound gimmick and get proper shoulder rotation and bicep swivel, I'd have been perfectly content. But all in all a great piece and I'm glad I found all the pieces at retail.

I first saw a plastic model of Golion when I was just a little kid growing up in S Korea. It wasn’t until some years later in the US when I was reacquainted with Voltron on TV. More than it being a cool robot, it was a familiar friend from home that made my transition to my new home that much easier. Now almost 35 years later Voltron/Golion still has a special place in my heart. A lot of Really cool collectibles have come and left my shelf but this guy- well tbh the SOC VERSION OF HIM - will probably remain a permanent fixture alongside my Mazinger. Oh The power of nostalgia and that robot-lovin child that still survives within all of us. Thanks for the review.

Thanks. My budget and lifestyle has changed to where I can't afford a lot of the super expensive stuff anymore, but I've been trying to get more reviews in now that life has settled down. It's been a few years of couch surfing, unknown futures and overall chaos but it's finally starting to calm down. Thanks for hanging in there.

It’s great having you reviewing regularly again. Explaining the replacement arms is pure gold. I haven’t laughed that hard since you described transforming the Beagel Ridearmor (I think) as wrestling a drunk octopus.

Again, it's not the Soul of Chogokin figure, but for $100+ and how easy it is to get, this works as a set. I especially enjoy how stable it is compared to the Legendary version. To be fair to the Legendary version though, I think the issues with its toys stem from the design not being made with toys in mind at all. It was simply made to be more modern & visually punchy.